If negative stars were possible...
TLDR: RUN!! Go anywhere…read moreelse but here. Office staff are incompetent, tone deaf, and not respectful of your time. They will flood you with automated reminders of appointments they will not keep.
Background: Brother needed a nuclear heart test for foot surgery clearance. He has a murmur, but no complications, no heart medications. Sounds easy, right??
Appt #1: was scheduled by primary care physician who knows this doctor.
When we arrive the day of appointment, we are told the doctor isn't here, you will need to reschedule.
What?! I took the day off from work and drove an hour and a half to be here.
We only do those tests on Monday
But it's Monday.
Yeah, but not today. Their next opening was weeks later, so upcoming surgery had to be cancelled and delayed for months.
Appt #2:
Cancelled by phone about a week before appointment. "Doctor is at a conference." I say he has foot surgery scheduled and only needs clearance. Sure, no problem.
Appt #3:
Cancelled by phone about 2 hours before appointment. "Equipment is down." This person is actually nice and informed (she is a contractor). I provide a date the following week that I have an opening. She says she will talk to office staff and get that slot (they don't) She says she and office staff will call me back (they don't). I call a few days later for update. Yes, appointment was scheduled, but not the date or time I requested. Great, I have to take another day off work. I remind them he has surgery scheduled and needs clearance. Sure, no problem.
Appt #4:
Appointment is at 830am. We are on time. Wait, wait, wait. After 30 minutes, I check in with office staff who say yes, we are in correct building (there are 2 connected offices with zero signage), we are next, there is no problem. Same response 20 minutes later. After an hour, I see contractor with logo shirt and ask them if there is a delay. They respond, "No, your appointment is at 10am." I went back to front office and they said there must have been a mix-up, but maintain his appointment is at 830. Obviously not IF WE ARE STILL WAITING at 10am. While we were in the office, we saw breakfast delivered, medical students touring, but ZERO attention to patient care. You can't miss all the posters touting the doctor's brilliance and the advertisements for books he has written. None of them must have been about patient care or hiring competent staff.
Over the next week following the test, I expect to receive a call, notice, etc., with test results. NO. Of course not. After more than a week has passed, I call. Again, no apologies for their incompetence. No, they can't give me results, but they can schedule a phone appointment... a month later. I say no, that doesn't work, he has surgery before then. We just need the clearance. Oh, I didn't know that (aren't you supposed to??? This is what we have been trying to accomplish for 6 months). Phone appointment scheduled for the next week.
Appt #5 (phone):
Staff calling to pre-screen before speaking with doctor. She asks a litany of questions about current medications, insurance, symptoms, blood pressure today. I don't know my brother's blood pressure today. I just need his surgery clearance. Oh, we don't have the test results yet. WHAT?! Then why are you calling me? Why don't you have the results after more than two weeks? And why would you schedule an appointment to review results if you don't have them? True to form, no apologies, no explanation, just another phone appointment scheduled.
Appt #6 (phone):
Staff called to cancel less than one hour prior to appointment. She reschedules for later that evening. Fine, whatever.
Appt #7 (phone):
Staff calls 15 minutes prior to scheduled appointment to make sure we are ready to take call. Then the doctor calls an hour and 15 minutes later. We FINALLY speak to him and he says why didn't they do xyz test? Seriously?! He hadn't looked at his chart in the last 5 months that we have been scheduling appointments? I say, I don't know doctor, this is appointment number SEVEN, so your guess is as good as mine. Does he have surgery clearance since it is THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW? Of course, no problem, just do xyz test as soon as he can. I ask him to fax the surgery clearance to the foot doctor and primary, he says he will have his staff do it tomorrow.
Day of surgery- Surgical center staff asks where is his surgery clearance. Of course, Dr. Manshadi and his staff didn't send as promised. I call the office, give them a fax # and tell them surgery is scheduled for less that 60 minutes from now. They send it (I'm shocked) and surgery goes as planned.
I am finally free of this nightmare. I will never return. Three times I had to take the day off from work and drive over an hour in each direction for a test my brother likely did not need, but no one had taken the time to review his case. This is how they treat patients on Medicare. They get paid if you have to keep coming back.
